


Go Figure

by PurpleArrowzandLeather



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Bad Days, Gen, Hurt, Kinderguardians (Destiny), Rescue Missions, infections, this is what hunters get for playin' nice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:41:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21824581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleArrowzandLeather/pseuds/PurpleArrowzandLeather
Summary: After an already-horrible day, Abnus still finds it within himself to help out some newly resurrected Guardians. It's about par for the course that his good deed doesn't work in his favor.
Kudos: 24





	Go Figure

**Author's Note:**

> The OC is mine, but everything else is not.  
> I didn't really edit, but here you go. :)

Never corner a Hunter. 

It’s one of the first things any of the Traveler’s chosen learn, and that includes other Hunters. Chances are, they'll come back to life and stab you in the back. Of course, most of their enemies don’t get the memo. 

It’s been a banner day for Abnus already. He blew up his sparrow by accident while fighting against an alleged House of Devils heir. It was collateral damage. The supposed heir also decided it would be great to put a hole in his favorite cloak and cut his throat. After spending hours listening to Zavala drone on in an aftermath debriefing, Abnus was tired and overall feeling awful. 

Now, he’s stuck escorting a group of kinderguardians at the end of an already obnoxiously long day. They’re newly resurrected, so all four of them officially have no idea what’s going on. The best their Ghosts can tell them is how to avoid ending up dead, since none of them are armed. 

All of them were awestruck when they saw him. He’s a bit taller than the average Hunter, with black hair and white war paint crossing his face. Gunmetal gray eyes stared them down as he told them to come with him. 

Unfortunately, nothing is ever that simple for him. 

“All of you stay close to me.” Abnus says, pushing one of the smaller Void Hunters behind his back as he fires at a wizard. His armor is so thin, Abnus can tell he’s cold underneath it. 

While he’s certain they can fight if they have to, confusion and being uncoordinated are parts of the initial rez. 

If it were safe to call his ship down, he would do it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, it’s more likely to be shot down than to be a viable exit. It’s at times like these when Abnus really hates the Hive. 

A tombship appears overhead. 

“Run! We’re exactly seventeen miles from the Tower. Head directly north and do not stop! Take my Ghost with you. She knows the way.” 

Saber immediately protests. “If you’re hurt or die out here without me, it could be days bef-” 

“Go!” Abnus snaps, sliding another mag into his weapon. “I’ll hold them.” 

She’s quiet for another long moment even as Abnus peers from behind cover. She doesn’t argue a second time, directing the four of them towards the only remaining escape route. Abnus tilts his head back against a piece of metal, panting as he glances out of the corner of his eye. There are too many of them for the amount of ammo he has left. He might make it through a lot more with just his knife, but not enough to overwhelm them. Already feeling exhausted, he wonders how long he can hold a super. 

Two shots? Three? 

All he knows is that it’s not enough. The others just needed to get away. 

Leaping from cover, Abnus fires his hand cannon over and over, landing headshot after headshot to ensure survival as long as he can. It has to be at least ten minutes, but the Hive keep coming. Shriekers singe his arms and shoulders from behind, causing him to lose a step. It’s only a moment, but that’s all the Hive need. 

One of the Knights swings its sword down at him, the blade passing through his shoulder pad and slicing into his arm. Abnus yelps, rolling away from it and switching his gun hand. They push him backwards until he’s standing on the edge of a cliff. He has one knife left, very little ammo, and no energy for a super. He's too tired. Acolytes continue to fire at him and he crouches down. A new wizard suppresses his Light, time seeming to slow as a pair of Knights charge at him. Abnus stumbles back as the blade of the first one cuts into his leg. The second hurls him off the ledge. 

A weightless feeling enters his chest. It’s only a twenty-foot fall, but the ground breaks out from underneath him when he lands. He doesn’t even have time to grab the broken edge of the ground to keep from falling further. 

Everything goes black. 

It must be hours later when he comes around because it’s dark all around him. He groans, lifting a hand to his head only to wince when his shoulder protests fiercely. Abnus is cold, so he moves a bit to try to figure out where he is. 

Water sloshes around him. It’s almost up to the top of his hips. 

Abnus struggles to push himself back, the pain in his left leg almost unbearable. He’s pretty certain the scabs on the wound have broken open, warm liquid seeping over his skin and into the water around him. The downed Hunter struggles to get his cloak off with his good hand, regrettably taking his remaining knife and cutting it into long strips. 

His wounded shoulder almost refuses to work at all, trembling with every movement. He can’t tie the strips of cloth onto his thigh with one hand, so he suffers through it anyway. He wraps what little is left around his shoulder, holding his arm close to keep from shifting it. 

An experimental taste of the water gives him somewhat of an idea of rainwater. If it wasn’t for him falling and bleeding into it, normal people might consider drinking it. Depending on how long he’s down here, he might have to anyway. 

He coughs, tasting dried blood in his throat. Sighing, Abnus drinks a little water to wash it down. He's hesitant to drink any more than he has to because he has no idea what may be floating around in it. 

Exhausted as he is, staying awake is almost impossible. 

Abnus sleeps through the rest of the night, occasionally twitching or murmuring. By morning, his head is fuzzy and his mouth is dry. The fever has set in. 

He looks up. Sunshine is beaming in through the hole above him, lighting the space enough for him to note that he has nowhere to go even if he wanted to. There’s plenty of space in the bottom probably a good eight feet, but it narrows higher up, like a poorly-made natural well. The walls around him are too flat for climbing and he won’t be jumping anywhere soon. Abnus is well and truly trapped. 

Hive growling outside makes a sick feeling settle into his stomach. There must be an infestation nearby, and that means even if he could get out of the hole, he wouldn’t pass unseen. 

All he can do is wait. 

Abnus gently pulls the long strip of cloak from his shoulder, wincing as he sees the size of the gash fully for the first time. His leg can’t be any better. In fact, judging by how stiff it is, it’s much worse. His arm isn’t infected that he can see. At least, not yet, but he’ll need to get a look at his leg to be for sure. It’s a fight with his own body to even sit up, his bruised ribs and back screaming at him to lay back down. If he does that, he’s not sure he’ll have the strength to sit up again later. 

Carefully, the injured Hunter leans forward, tugging at his previous knots to get a look at his leg. He grimaces upon seeing how inflamed it is, gently prodding at the angry red on the surface. He takes half an hour to clean it out with the water around him, the wet and flimsy scabs pulling away easily. It’s not supposed to be wet in the wound, he knows, but he has little choice. He has nowhere to rest his leg out of the water and he can barely move as it is. 

He has to stay hydrated, but Saber has his canteen. He never leaves the Tower without it, but it appears he needs to make a habit of carrying it on him. 

Abnus never thought he would wish to be an Exo, but their lack of need to eat or drink would come in very handy right about now. He’d still be injured, but at least he wouldn’t have to deal with infection or dehydration. 

Then again.... Do Exos rust? 

With as much care as he can muster, Abnus ties the knots again. He knows he would usually need new bandages, but he has nothing to use unless he wants to use his armor. Reaching his undershirt with his injured shoulder is an impossibility. It’s already soaked with water anyway. 

Traveler, he’s freezing. 

Into the late afternoon, Abnus toys with the clasps of his bracer. His entire body is starting to throb and soon enough he’s sweating. Taking another look at his thigh, Abnus chokes back a grunt as he touches the surface. It’s swollen now and the waxiness of his skin isn’t a good sign. 

As a Guardian, he’s no expert in medicine, but even young Guardians are aware of human disease. After all, they have humans in the Tower and all over the place to worry about. Abnus was a normal human at one point anyway, even if he can't remember it.

After another few hours, he dozes off without meaning to. 

He comes around with a start, his head snapping up as he realizes he needs to stay awake. His alertness only increases as he finds that it’s dark again. He sees the stars above him through the hole, but that’s about all he can see. 

Abnus shifts, wincing more than a little as the pain gets worse. Nausea rises in his throat, forcing him to take a deep breath to ease his discomfort. Abnus closes his eyes for a second, tugging one of his gloves off to take his pulse. It’s too fast. Not a surprise considering his predicament, but definitely not a good sign. 

He swallows, shivering. All Abnus can do is pray that it stays an infection instead of turning septic. All the water with him makes it an unlikely possibility, but one can hope. He pulls his arms close to his chest, trying to keep warm if he can. It doesn’t do much for him, but not much will at this point. 

For the next few hours, he commits himself to some decent rest. The pain is slowly growing worse, but it’s not unbearable as of yet. As much as he would love to stay awake just in case someone comes by, he knows he’s not going to be able to see them in the dark. They likely won’t find the hole unless they fall into it. 

When he opens his eyes, it’s midday again, the sun directly over the hole. He sighs with relief as it warms both him and the water. While it may not help the overall feeling of illness, it definitely is a balm for the pain. 

The sun passes over, casting shadows over the lip of the hole and leaving behind a cold chill. Abnus twists a little, trying to pick his bad leg out of the water a little. It only serves to send a burst of agony across his already-weak form. With the remaining light, he checks his wound again. 

It’s definitely not pretty. The wound doesn’t appear septic now, but it could develop at any point and from here it’ll only get worse. 

Hours spent waking and sleeping come and go faster than before, his drowsiness getting worse over time. It’s harder to wake up through the haze of fever, but he knows he has to be alert. If and hopefully when someone comes, he needs to be able to call to them at least. 

If he’s calculating correctly, it’s been almost three days since he fell. He’s more than a little hungry, and he’s pretty sure the water isn’t safe to drink anymore if it ever was. Shifting around is getting a lot more difficult, and he’s not sure how much longer he’ll actually be able to stay fully conscious with his skull on fire the way it is. 

His awareness fades as he takes one last look at his shoulder, a trembling breath leaving his throat as he wonders who might come for him. 

Just his luck, he blacks out as soon as help is close. 

For his luck, it's just about right.

His rescuers are a group of Hunters: Andal, Cayde, Shiro and Tevis. When four harried kinderguardians and Saber made it into the Tower without Abnus, Saber immediately came to them. It took far too long to get back to the Tower while in an area without good airspace and enemies everywhere. And, of course, the young Guardians had no weapons to speak of, so it was creep around and hide instead of fight. 

It was the longest seventeen miles of Saber’s life. 

They’re standing on the exact spot where Abnus forced her to leave him. She scowls, floating in a circle and spinning her fins. “That idiot. I knew I shouldn’t have let him stay behind.” 

Cayde waves her off at the same time Andal shakes his head. “If Abnus thought there was another way, he would have taken it. He wouldn’t have sent you away if he could have protected all of you while staying alive himself.” 

“I’ve got tracks.” Shiro says, crouched over by an old shipping container. “They’re old, at least a few days. The Hive have moved on, it looks like.” 

Tevis peers around, his gaze sharp. He has better vision than any of them, so it’s no surprise he picks up the trail as it leads towards the cliffside. “I’ve got blood over here.” He squints a bit, rubbing his glove against a spot and licking at his fingertip. “Not arterial, there isn’t any spray. Definitely human, though.” 

Andal peers over the edge of the cliff. “Oh, no.” 

Cayde crouches next to him for all of a moment before standing again. “Let’s go.” 

He jumps down and the other three all follow him. They peer into the hole in the ground, calling for Abnus. Tevis frowns as he gets a better look and confirms Abnus is down there. Saber floats down, making a helpless noise that has Andal pulling out the few supplies for climbing he carries around. 

“Saber?” 

“He’s still alive, but I can’t get him to wake up.” 

Andal slides down his rope to the bottom of the well. His feet splash into water that comes almost halfway up his boots. “Reglan, give me some light.” 

“Will do.” 

He winces when he sees Abnus’ pallor and the poorly patched wound on his leg. Pulling the bandage away reveals mottled skin around the wound and a nasty infection. Septic, then. “Saber, can you heal it?” 

“I’ve never had t-….” She trails off. “I don’t know how.” 

Andal calls up to the other three Hunters above. “I need a med pack!” 

Sure enough, Shiro is the prepared one. A bag drops down and Andal sets to work. The first thing he does is administer some antibiotics since Saber doesn’t have any idea what she’s up against. It’s not a surprise. Many Ghosts have no idea what to do about infections simply because they always heal their Guardians before something like that becomes an issue. Of course, if his Ghost can't teach Saber how to fix it once they're able to get a better look, he'll need the antibiotics anyway. 

“All right, buddy. This is going to hurt.” Andal mutters. 

He smears medicine onto a patch of gauze, pressing it to the wound and wrapping it with a bandage as tightly as he dares. Abnus comes around as he’s taping off, a startled and pained shout drawing from his throat. Before Andal can move, a knife is under the edge of his jaw, threatening his death if he moves at all. 

“Abnus, calm down. It’s just me.” 

Abnus pants and Andal can feel his pulse in his knuckles as they remain at his neck. 

“Wake up, pal.” Andal tips the blade away from his throat, pushing Abnus’ hand down onto his chest. “Saber made it to the Tower and came to get us. We’re gonna get you out of here.” 

Abnus swallows, shivering a little and clearly in a lot of pain. 

“We’ve got a rope right here. Can you climb?” 

The downed Hunter shakes his head, still seeming confused as to why or how Andal even showed up. “Not even if I wanted to, which I don’t.” 

“All right.” Andal answers, the words breathy and concerned. 

Abnus waits patiently for his friend to come up with something. It’s not like this is a situation they encounter every day. Honestly, he wouldn’t be surprised if the last time one of them dealt with an infection like his was more than fifty years ago. 

“Hold still. At least, as much as you can. I’m going to wrap the rope around you, but.... It won’t be a pleasant experience.” 

“No one said it had to be pretty.” 

Andal smirks. _Hunters._

They get a lot of work done due to their unconventional methods. 

The concerned Hunter makes a face before pulling Abnus forwards. Abnus chokes back a shout, gripping the handle of his knife until his knuckles turn white. Andal has to lift his arms to get him into the rope, and his shoulder makes it clear just how much it doesn’t like the movement. He clenches his jaw, his exhale careful. 

The look Andal shoots him is more than a little concerned. 

“I’m fine.” Abnus manages. 

Andal is unconvinced, but he secures the rope around Abnus’ back and calls up to the other three to haul him out. The sound that leaves Abnus when he’s shifted makes Tevis flinch. He didn’t mention how small the Hunter looked down in the water, but now he’s realizing how much pain their friend must have been in. With the light in the room, he could tell Abnus hadn’t even tried to get out due to the lack of scraping on the walls. 

Not being able to get out of something is likely one of the worst fears for any Hunter. 

Cayde grabs onto him first, Shiro carefully reaching underneath his bad arm to help. Tevis keeps a hand on the rope just in case, but it turns out fine. They get Abnus laid out on his back, so Tevis reaches a hand down into the mouth of the hole for Andal to take. Andal uses both of his jumps to reach the top, having to take the offered hand in order to get out. 

Andal peers up at the cliff overhead, his gaze dropping to the hole in the ground and a frown lining his face. Tevis shares the feeling. 

“Come on, buddy. Work with us here. We need to take a look at your back. You might have landed on something down in the water.” Shiro says, attempting to convince the injured Hunter to check him over. 

He struggles to turn onto his side, aided by the two Hunters hovering over him. It’s a surprise, since most Hunters don’t want to be hovered over after being hurt. 

After a little poking and prodding, Cayde helps him settle again. “All right. You should be okay, since it looks like the bruising is uniform.” 

Abnus doesn’t seem to care, more focused on keeping his breathing even. His face is pale. Well... paler than usual. Shiro is checking his head for a concussion, and he makes a noise as he finds some dried blood. Seeing as such, he does a quick eye test just to be for sure. Fortunately, it looks like he’s fine in that respect. 

“Regs, will you teach Saber the basics real quick?” 

Andal’s Ghost and Abnus’ share a beam of Light for a few seconds, sharing information. “Now that we can see everything that needs healing, you’ll be able to get it all in one go. Infections are touchy business.” 

Tevis makes a face. He’s well aware that 'touchy' is a bit of an understatement. 

Abnus takes a few moments once he’s healed to simply be relieved. He rubs his face with his hands, pulling one leg up a little. He’s the least experienced Guardian in their group, so it’s no surprise he’d need a little time. 

Cayde pats his shoulder. “You had us worried, pal.” 

Abnus sits up, Shiro supporting his shoulders. “I didn’t know if word would get back to the city. I’ve got a lot of faith in Saber, but she can only do so much against Hive shredders and swords.” 

None of them really want to think about what would have happened if said Ghost hadn’t made it back with those other Guardians. 

They get Abnus to his feet. The group leaves the hole behind, knowing that when they reach the Tower, they’ll put in a service request. Another certain thing is that they won’t be leaving him to watch his own back for some time. As much as he might hate the idea, there are more than enough of them to have someone along. 

After all, everyone knows that a pack of Hunters takes care of its own. 


End file.
